Wall hung spectator seating



Jan. 8,v 1963 G. E. sczHAEr-'ER WALL `I-IUNG SPECTATOR SEATING Filed Aug. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 8, 1963 G. E. scHAEFER 3,072,434.

WALL HUNG sPEcTAToR SEATING Filed Aug. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L 1 f f United States Patent 3,072,434 WALL HUNG SPECTATOR SEA'HNG George E Schaefer, Muskegon, Mich., assignor to Brunswich Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 334,276 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-248) This invention relates to a spectator seating structure or the like intended primarily for, though not limited to, use by participants or spectators in a bowling alley or the like and constructed to be supported solely by means attached to an upright wall or other support without the need for legs or other oor engaging supporting means.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a new and improved wall-hung seating structure of the type described.

Another object is to provide a new and improved seating structure of the type descri-bed including one or more seat units each including a seat portion and a back rest and means for supporting the seat units from an upright support including a plurality of generally L-shaped brackets each having a generally horizontal leg attached to a seat po-rtion and a generally upright leg attached to a back rest, and means for attaching the support brackets to a wall or the like.

A more specific object is to provide a new and improved seating structure of the type described in the preceding paragraph wherein each of the seat units has a seat portion with downwardly extending side flanges attached to the horizontal legs of the support brackets and a back rest with rearwardly extending side tlanges attached to upright legs of the support brackets.

Other objects and advantages will become readily ap` parent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a seating structure embodying the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational View of the seating structure illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a left end elevational View of the seating structure illustrated in FIGS. l and 2;

FEG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line 5-5 of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken at about the line 6--6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line '7-7 of FIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line 8 8 of FIG. l;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line 9--9 of FIGS. l and 3;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken at about the line lil-lil of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating an L-shaped support bracket per se.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplication of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will lbe pointed out in the appended claims.

An important advantage of the present invention resides in the use of economically formed seat units of one piece molded plastic which are inherently strong and sturdy and which are hung by wall mounted supports formed to tit with substantial areas of the seat material and which are attached at a plurality of points to vthe 3,072,434 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 ICC seat units to provide a maximum support for the seat units and supply a substantial rigidity to thereby obviate the needfor floor engaging supporting means.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, a seat ing structure embodying the principles of the present invention preferably includes a plurality of separate seat units 10 arranged side by side in abutting relationship to provide a continuous row of seating with joints between adjacent seat units as at 11. The seat units 10 are preferably all alike; and each includes a generally horizon1 tally disposed seat portion 12, though it will be under stoo-d that the seat portion is rearwardly and slightly downwardly inclined for comfort. Integral with the seat portion 12, there is a generally upright back rest portion 14 which is inclined upwardly and slightly rearwardly. The seat units are preferably molded one-piece plastic units reinforced with berglass and the entire unit is formed with a continuous nishing ange which at some points is downwardly directed and at other places is rearwardly directed. More specifically, the seat portion 12 includes a downwardly directed front flange 16 and downwardly directed side flanges 17. The back rest 14 includes an upper rearwardly directed flange 19 and rearwardly directed side flanges 20.

The seat units 1t) are suspended by means of a plurab ity of supportbrackets 25, attached to Vthe seat units and supported on an upright wall such as that at 2.6 or some other similar upright support means. As will be best understood on viewing FIG. 3, the brackets 25 are somewhat L-shaped in conguration and each includes a generally horizontal lower leg 27 which has a forward and slightly upward inclination corresponding generally to the inclination of the seat portion 12, and an upright leg 2S which has a forward edge 29 with an inclination corresponding to that of the back rest 14 and a substantially vertical rear edge 30. The brackets 28 are substantially planar though if desired they may be formed -at the upper end with a slight laterally turned ilange as at 31 to avoid an exposed sharp edge.

The supporting brackets 28 are provided one at each end of the row of seating and one at each joint between abutting seat units. Adjacent the rear vertical edge 30 of the brackets, each is attached to an upright structural angle member 33 such as an angle iron which is in turn secured to the wall 26. Preferably, the bracket is attached to the angle member in two places, adjacent the upper end as illustrated at 35 in FIG. 3 and adjacent the lower end as illustrated at 36. The attaching means may comprise a bolt or screw 37 (FIG. 4) passing through the bracket leg 28 and a forwardly extending flange 38 of the angle member 33 and held in position by a nut as at 39 and a lock nut 4t). A laterally eX- tending ilange 42 of angle member 33 is preferably secured to the wall adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof as seen at 43 and 44, respectively. The attaching means 43 and 44 may comprise suitbale screws or bolts depending upon the nature of the Wall construction 26 or other support.

The horizontal leg 27 and the upright leg 28 of each of the brackets 25 are attached to one or more of the seat units 10 at both the seat portion 12 and the back rest 14. Preferably, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 the horizontal legs 27 are attached to the seat portions 12 at two positions spaced in a front to rear direction as illustrated generally by reference numbers 46 and 47 at the ends of the row and 48 and 49 at the joints between adjacent seats.

As the connections at 46 and 47 are similar in all essential respects, only the forward connection 46 will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 7, it will be noted that the horizontal leg 27 of the support bracket 25 is disposed inwardly and immediately adjacent the outermost downwardly-extending side flange 17 of the end seat unit 12. inwardly positioned and abutting the leg 27 is a cantilever 50 which will be referred to in more detail presently. outwardly disposed and abutting the side flange 17 is a spacer or filler 51 and outwardly of this member a clamp plate 52. The filler 51 and the clamp plate 52 are preferably enclosed by an attractive end cap or cover 53. The assembled parts as described are tightly held together, preferably by means of a screw or bolt as at 54 and a special nut or cap 55 having an end flange 56 such that the flange and the head of the screw tightly draw the parts together when the screw is tightened in the nut. It will be understood that each of the elements 17, 27, 50, 51, 52 and 53, have a substantial length and extend in a front to rear direction sufficiently that both the connections 46 and 47 encompass these parts.

The connections 48 and 49 are similar and according- 1y only one will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 8, it will be noted that the downwardly extending side flanges 17 of adjacent seat portions 12 are positioned in abutting relationship. Inwardly, toward the left, the horizontal leg 27 of the associated support bracket 25 abuts the leftmost flange 17. At the right, a clamp plate 60 abuts the rightmost flange 17. These parts are secured together by a screw 61 and a special nut 62 similar to that described at 55 in FG. 7. It will be understood that each of the elements 17, 27 and 60 illustrated in FlG. 8 has a substantial length in a front to rear direction and both of the connection 48, 49 encompass these parts.

As best seen in FIG. 3, each of the upright legs 28 of the support brackets 25 is attached at two vertically spaced positions 65 and 66 to the back rest portions of the seat units 10. FIG. 5 illustrates the attachment of the brackets at the ends of the row to the rearwardly extending side flanges 26 at the exposed ends of the back rest portions at the ends of the row. It will be noted that the flange 29 abuts the upright leg 28 of the support bracket 2S which is inwardly disposed relative to the flange, and the two are held firmly together as by means of a screw 67 and a special nut 68 similar to those previously described. FlG. 6 illustrates the attachment of the upright legs 28 of the support brackets to the pairs of abutting rearwardly directed side flanges at each of the joints between adjacent seat units. it will be noted that the adjacent flanges Ztl are abutting and the upright leg 28 abuts either one or the other of the flanges 20, inwardly disposed thereof, and the three are tightly clamped as by means of a screw 69 and a special nut 70.

lt will be appreciated that the connections 46, 47, 48 and 49 attaching the horizontal legs of the supporting brackets to the seat portions 12 are connections to rearwardly disposed portions of the downwardly extending flanges 17 of the seat units. In order to firmly secure the forwardly disposed portions of the downwardly extending flanges 17 to each other, connections are provided as at 72 (FIG. l and FlG. 10) and each of these connections comprises a bolt or screw as at 73 having a lsuitable nut 74 and locknut 75 with appropriate waszers if desired. It will be appreciated that these connections join the front edges of adjacent seat units to each other so that these function substantially as the front of a bench would function.

rl`he forward edges of the seat portions 12 at the exposed outer sides of the seat portions at opposite ends of the row are firmly supported by means of the cantilever 50 previously referred to, and as illu:trated in FIG. 9, the forward end of the cantilever is secured to a forwardly disposed portion of the adjacent downwardly extending side flange 17 by means of a connection generally designated 77. This connection preferably includes a washer 7S between the cantilever and the flange 17, the three of which are firmly clamped by screw 79 and special nut 8 0,

Mounting of the seat units on the wall 26 is facilitated by the construction shown and described and is readily accomplished by first assembling seat units and support brackets and attaching these together in their proper relationship to each other. been secured to wall 26, the assembly may then be mounted as illustrated in broken line in FIG. 3, first by attaching bracket 25 to angle member 33 at the lower end as at 36 while the front edges of the seats rest on the floor, after which the assembly is pivoted upwardly and then secured as at 35.

It will be appreciated that more or less than the four seat units illustrated may be utilized and that the construction disclosed provides a compact arrangement supported solely from the wall 26 which leaves the floor space beneath the seats clear for moving feet or for storage. At the same time, the formatiin of wall brackets 25 to fit substantial areas of the seat units to which they are attached provides an optimum support for the seat units and produces a substantially rigid seating structure.

I claim:

l. A seating structure, comprising, a molded one-piece seat unit including a rearwardly and slightly downwardly inclined seat portion and an integral upwardly and slightly rearwardly inclined back rest, said seat portion having downwardly extending side flanges and said back rest having rearwardly extending side flanges, a pair of generally L-shaped support brackets one at each side of the seat unit each including a lower leg having an inclination cor- `responding to that of the seat portion and a generally upright leg having a front edge with an inclination corresponding to that of the back rest and a substantially vertical rear edge, means securing said lower legs ref spectively to said downwardly extending side flanges on the seat portion, means securing the rearwardly extending flanges of the back rest respectively to the upright legs adjacent the front edges thereof, and means for securing the upright legs adjacent the rear edges thereof to a vertical wall.

2. A wall seat as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for securing the upright legs to a wall comprises a pair of structural angle members each having a forwardly extending flange and a laterally extending wall engaging flange, means securing the forwardly extending flanges of the angle irons respectively to the upright legs of the support brackets, and means for securing the wall engaging flanges to the wall.

3. A seating structure, comprising, a plurality of seat units arranged side by side to provide a row of seating with joints between adjacent seat units, each unit including a seat portion having downwardly extending side flanges, a plurality of laterally spaced generally L-shaped support brackets one at each end of the row and one at each joint, each having a generally horizontal leg and a generally upright leg, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the downwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent downwardly extending flanges at the joints, means securing the upright legs of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the rearwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, means securing the upright legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent rearwardly extending flanges at the joints, and means for securing the upright legs of the brackets to a wall or the like.

4. A structure, comprising a plurality of seat units arranged side by side to provide a row of seating with joints between adjacent seat units, each unit including a seat portion having downwardly extending side flanges and a back rest having rearwardly extending side flanges, the side flanges of adjacent seat units abutting at the The angle members 33 having' joints, a plurality of laterally spaced generally L-shaped support brackets one at each end of the row and one at each joint, each having a generally horizontal leg and a generally upright leg, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets lat the ends of the row respectively to rearwardly disposed portions of the downwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to rearwardly disposed portions of the pairs of adjacent downwardly extending flanges at the joints, means securing the upright legs of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the rearwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, means securing the upright legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent rearwardly extending flanges at the joints, means securing forwardly disposed portions of the adjacent downwardly extending anges at the joints to each other, and a cantilever at each end of the row, having a rearwardly disposed end portion secured to the horizontal leg of the adjacent bracket and a forward end portion secured to a forwardly disposed portion of the adjacent downwardly extending side flange.

5. A seating structure, comprising, a plurality of seat units arranged side by side to provide a row of seating with joints between adjacent seat units, each unit including a seat portion having downwardly extending side ilanges and a back rest having rearwardly extending side flanges, a plurality of laterally spaced generally L-shaped support brackets one at each end of the row and one at each joint, each having a generally horizontal leg and a generally upright leg, individual means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the ends of the -row respectively to the downwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, individual means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent downwardly extending tlanges at the joints, individual means securing the upright legsl of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the rearwardly extending ilan'ges at the ends of the row, individual means securing the upright legs of the bracket at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent rearwardly extending flanges at the joints, and individual means for securing the upright legs of the brackets to a wall or the like.

6. A seating structure, comprising, a plurality of seat units arranged side by side to provide a row of seating with joints between adjacent seat units, each unit including a seat portion having downwardly extending side ilanges and a back rest having rearwardly extending side flanges, a plurality of laterally spaced generally L-shaped support brackets one at each end of the row and one at each joint, each having a generally horizontal leg and a generally rupright leg, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the downwardly extending flanges at the ends of the row, means securing the horizontal legs of the brackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent downwardly extending flanges at the joints, means securing the upright legs of the brackets at the ends of the row respectively to the rearwardly extending ilanges at the ends of the row forwardly from the rear edges of the upright legs of the brackets, means securing the upright legs of the ybrackets at the joints respectively to the pairs of adjacent rearwardly extending flanges at the joints forwardly of the rear edges of the upright legs of the brackets, and means for securing the upright legs of the brackets to a wall or the like including structural angle members one at each end of the row and one at each joint, each having a laterally extending wall engaging flange and a forwardly extending bracket engaging flange, means for securing the wall engaging ilanges to a wall or the like, and means for securing the forwardly extending llanges of the angle members respectively to the upright legs of the support brackets adjacent the upper and lower ends of the rear edges thereof, whereby the seat units and the support brackets may be assembled together independently of said wall mountable angle members and then attached to the lower ends of the latter while the front edges of the seat units are rested on a floor surface or the like, and thereafter attached to the upper ends of the Wall mountable members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,861,100 Stanitz May 31, 1932 2,113,103 Yost et al. Apr. 5, 1938 2,258,864 Rieger Oct. 14, 1941 2,279,946 Jonson Apr. 14, 1942 2,311,482 Smith Feb. 16, 1943 2,345,182 Corber Mar. 28, 1944 2,568,896 Morgan et al. Sept. 25, 1951 2,572,732 Keklen et al. Oct. 23, 1951 2,921,622 Henrikson Jan. 19, 1960 3,012,818 Brown Dec. 12, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 770,419 France June 25, 1934 253,387 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1948 534,400 Italy Oct. 14, 1955 774,708 Great Britain May 15, 1957 324,616 Switzerland Nov. 15, 1957 

1. A SEATING STRUCTURE, COMPRISING, A MOLDED ONE-PIECE SEAT UNIT INCLUDING A REARWARDLY AND SLIGHTLY DOWNWARDLY INCLINED SEAT PORTION AND AN INTEGRAL UPWARDLY AND SLIGHTLY REARWARDLY INCLINED BACK REST, SAID SEAT PORTION HAVING DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE FLANGES AND SAID BACK REST HAVING REARWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE FLANGES, A PAIR OF GENERALLY L-SHAPED SUPPORT BRACKETS ONE AT EACH SIDE OF THE SEAT UNIT EACH INCLUDING A LOWER LEG HAVING AN INCLINATION CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF THE SEAT PORTION AND A GENERALLY UPRIGHT LEG HAVING A FRONT EDGE WITH AN INCLINATION CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF THE BACK REST AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL REAR EDGE, MEANS SECURING SAID LOWER LEGS RESPECTIVELY TO SAID DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE FLANGES ON THE SEAT PORTION, MEANS SECURING THE REARWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES OF THE BACK REST RESPECTIVELY TO THE UPRIGHT LEGS ADJACENT THE FRONT EDGES THEREOF, AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE UPRIGHT LEGS ADJACENT THE REAR EDGES THEREOF TO A VERTICAL WALL. 